Breakaway, page 5
part #5 of Northbrook Hockey Elite Series
“Tell us, Camila, where did you go to college?” Loop asked.
“University of Denver,” she said. “I’m a Colorado girl, I guess.”
“I have no complaints about Denver,” Loop said, his grin crooked.
Declan leaned back in his chair and frowned. Loop wasn’t a womanizer like Hammer, but he could probably hold his own with women. Declan looked from Loop to Camila. She seemed attentive to Loop, but not interested. At least he didn’t think so.
As she chatted with Loop, Declan was completely and fully aware of how close she was sitting next to him. How she was tapping her foot beneath the table. And how her gaze cut more than once to her friend Paige, who seemed to have formed a new circle of friends at the other end of the table.
He found himself listening for any information about her life as the daughter of a wealthy man. But her college stories sounded ordinary, not privileged. Kind of opposite of the pictures he’d found of her.
Declan’s phone rang, and he knew who it was before even looking at the screen. Only one person called him, and since he’d forwarded an email to his mom a short time ago, it had to be her.
Sure enough, she was calling. He rose from the table and walked out of the restaurant to take the call. It was a good excuse to get a bit of air. The colder the better.
“What are you doing right now?” Paige asked over the phone.
“A stat report for my dad,” Camila said.
“Sounds boring.”
Camila laughed. “Not all of us can pose in front of a camera all day.” She imagined her friend rolling her eyes.
“Modeling is hard work, you know,” Paige said. “I mean, it’s a total workout. All that standing and posing and then holding still for this and that. Then there’s the wardrobe changes, and the stress of trying not to break out in zits, and always watching my weight—”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Camila said, holding back her laughter.
“Dimitri says he misses you,” Paige said in a quieter voice.
Camila sighed. In college, she’d gone on some photo shoots with Paige for fun. She’d ended up doing a bit of work, mostly with Dimitri, who’d been an up-and-coming photographer. Now he was one of the top photographers in Denver. “Tell him I miss him too.”
“You should come with me this afternoon to pick out my wedding dress.”
It took Camila a second for her mind to catch up. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s something that will help you take your mind off everything.”
Camila saved the spreadsheet she’d been working on. “What do you mean?”
“Oh. Haven’t you seen his post?”
“What are you talking about?” Her mind shifted to the Chargers players. Had one of them posted something that would piss off her dad?
“Stephen’s engaged,” Paige said. “She’s really ugly, though, and I’m sure he’s marrying her just for her money, or something.”
Camila was already opening Instagram on her computer, although she no longer followed Stephen. She was pretty sure his profile was public. Yes, it was. And there was the picture . . . the one she had thought she’d be posing in with Stephen.
She gazed at the smiling redhead nestled against the man Camila had once thought she loved. The woman held her hand close to the camera, displaying a glittering square-cut diamond on her ring finger.
It didn’t matter. Not really. Stephen had moved on, apparently. Maybe his fiancée had a wealthy father who could give him what he wanted. Plus, Camila had moved on.
So why did her heart hurt?
She exhaled slowly.
“Talk about Plain Jane, right?” Paige said.
“Right,” Camila said. “I’ll come with you.” Although she wasn’t sure how going wedding dress shopping with Paige would ease the ache in her chest about her ex becoming engaged. Well, whatever, she’d have fun with Paige regardless. “If you’re sure, and it’s not something your mom and sister want to do.”
“My mom and I disagree on every bit of fashion ever, and my sister is hugely pregnant,” Paige said. “If I have to hear about her heartburn one more time, I’m going to move to another state.”
At this, Camila laughed. Yeah, Paige would be good to hang out with today.
“Also, ditch that ball cap you keep wearing,” Paige said. “Stop hiding that beautiful face of yours.”
Camila opened her mouth to say that she wasn’t hiding anything, but Paige had already hung up. Camila sat for a moment, thinking about Paige’s comment. Yeah, she purposely dressed down around the hockey players. Hammer and some of the guys were flirtatious enough, without more fuel. Was it conceited for Camila to know that she attracted a lot of guys without intending to? Unfortunately, when she wanted to be taken seriously, she had to dress down.
Stephen had taught her that, back when she realized her only value to him was her appearance and connections. He’d wanted her only as arm candy who hung on his every word. Moving back to Denver, she was determined to be seen as more than the Chargers’ owner’s daughter. Yeah, she worked for her dad now, but she knew what she was doing, and she could do her job well.
Okay, then. No ball cap and no baggy clothing, for today.
Two hours later, Camila and Paige were getting the royal treatment at an exclusive bridal shop downtown. When the champagne was produced, reserved for their top clients, Camila turned down the offer. Which of course made her think of Declan and how he’d told her he didn’t drink.
She might have googled him last night, again, but to no avail. Now his social media links popped up, but still nothing more personal than what she already knew from her dad. She’d seen the caller ID on his phone the other night at Back West. His mom had been calling. And when he’d returned to his seat, Loop was still dominating the conversation, and Declan had hardly said another word to her.
His thoughts had seemed preoccupied.
No matter.
She’d see him tomorrow, not that she was looking forward to seeing him specifically. The team would be at a ribbon cutting for a recreation center in one of the suburbs. As Paige tried on one dress after another, Camila gave her opinions, but she was thinking of how Declan had ordered her a new salad and how he’d even teased her. She wasn’t sure she’d consider it flirting. If it had been flirting, it was way toned down from someone like Hammer. Or Stephen.
Declan was like one of those solid guys, she decided. He seemed to consider things carefully, and he was deliberate in his actions. At least off the ice. Perhaps Camila had also watched some of the video clips fans had posted to YouTube of his breakaways. And she’d watched videos of his penalties. And clips of newscasters commenting on his volatile career.
“What do you think?” Paige asked, her breathless tone giving away the fact that she loved the dress she’d just walked out in.
“Wow.” Camila gazed at the exquisite beading that traveled the length of the dress. The hem splayed out on the floor made Paige look like she was practically floating. “I love it.”
“I know, right?” Paige turned to give Camila the full effect. “I think it’s the one.”
Camila smiled. “You look gorgeous.”
Paige paused and gazed at her reflection in the row of full-length mirrors. “Brady is one lucky guy.”
Camila laughed. “Oh, and I’m sure you’re going to let him know all about it.”
Paige laughed. “You got that right, hon.” She did another full turn, her eyes alight with satisfaction. “Now, I’m starving. Let’s go eat carbs.”
“Well, you eat the carbs, I’m going for a salad.”
“Boring, again.”
“I don’t have your metabolism.”
Paige rolled her eyes, then moved into the dressing room, where the sales lady was only too happy to help her out of the gown, then ring up her purchase. Once the details of delivery were worked out, Paige and Camila left the shop.
The day was cloudy, and Camila zipped up her jacket against the cold wind. The city buses rumbled by, mostly empty this time of day. Her phone rang, and she glanced at it, then froze.
She’d saved all the numbers of the Chargers players in her phone when she first started the job, although she’d never called or texted any of them, preferring to do everything by email, and not wanting any of the guys to have access to her number.
But apparently, Declan Rivera had her cell number, and he was calling it.
“Are you going to answer it?” Paige asked, looking down at Camila’s phone.
“I don’t know,” Camila said, her heart thrumming.
“It’s just business, right?” Paige said, amusement in her tone.
“Right. Sure it is.” She answered a split second before it went into voicemail. “Hello?”
“Camila?” Declan’s voice on the phone was lower than she remembered.
“Yeah?” She plugged her other ear to drown out the sounds of the city traffic as she continued to walk with Paige.
“I read the email you sent yesterday. Well, I read it just now.” The deepness of his voice seemed to reach through the phone and shiver to her belly, waking up the sleepy butterflies.
“That’s progress,” she said. She was gratified when she heard him chuckle.
“Yeah, I suppose so.” He paused. “Here’s the thing . . .”
The butterflies immediately stilled.
“I’m in Chicago right now, trying to convince my mom to put Princess into a box.”
“Princess?”
“Her cat, who apparently makes all the decisions in our family.”
A smile tugged on her face. “Where’s Princess going?”
Paige motioned Camila to cross the street with her, and Camila followed.
“Denver. At least that’s the plan,” Declan said with an exhale. “I’m trying to get my mom to consider moving closer to me, so this is a trial run for a few weeks. Thus, the cat needs to come.”
Another sound entered into their conversation, an older woman calling Declan.
Camila tried to imagine huge Declan being bossed around by his petite mother. “So, you’ll miss tomorrow’s event?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Sorry about that. I was hoping to have this all worked out yesterday, but it’s taken longer than I thought.” His voice went to a near whisper. “My mom’s kind of stubborn.”
Camila laughed.
Paige threw her a curious but pleased glance.
Camila had no idea where they were walking. Paige could be leading her around the city twice, and Camila wouldn’t know any different. “Well, good luck with your mom, and the cat. And maybe you can just repost the event on your Instagram and retweet on Twitter.”
“Repost?”
“Read the email I sent on March 3rd,” she said as Paige stopped in front of a café. Camila scanned the black-and-white awning: Corner Bakery Café.
“Okay . . .”
“It’s an app, and I have every confidence a tough guy like you can figure it out.”
He was silent for a moment.
Paige took a seat on a bench in front of the café, and Camila joined her.
Declan still hadn’t said anything.
“If you really think it’s too hard, I can walk you through it when you get back.” She waited a moment. “Declan?”
“Um, I need to ask you something else,” he said.
Was he nervous? Huh. She glanced at Paige, but her friend was busy with something on her phone.
“You know how I’m from Chicago, and I played at Northbrook Hockey Elite before getting drafted?”
“Yeah?” She sort of knew this, but he’d never discussed it with her.
“The club has struggled the past few years, and last November we put together a fundraising gala to raise money for some renovations and scholarships,” he said. “Well, Bree Stone headed it all up, and she now runs Prime Outreach Incorporated. It’s a nonprofit organization that funds athletic programs for kids.”
“Okay . . .” She had no idea where he was going with this, but her pulse had been alerted by his mention of another woman. Who was Bree Stone to him?
“I told her I’d find a way to contribute to her overall campaign, whether it benefits Northbrook or some other program.”
“That sounds cool.”
“Well, it’s turning out to be more complicated than I thought.”
Camila laughed. This from a guy who’d just asked her what repost meant.
“I’ll try not to take that personally, Camila.”
Declan Rivera saying her name in that low voice of his was doing odd things to her heart rate. “I’m sorry. Go on.” They both knew she was still laughing at him.
“Bree wants to film some sort of a promotional video in the Denver area,” Declan said. “Bring all the guys in.”
“The guys?” Camila asked.
“The guys I played with at Northbrook and who are all pro now.”
As he listed the names, Camila realized this was going to be a big deal. She recognized most of the names—they were top players in the NHL. This wasn’t going to be some short one-minute video to throw up on YouTube, but more like a promotional video that would be an important part of Bree Stone’s nonprofit organization.
When Declan finished explaining what Bree had asked him to research, he said, “Are you still with me?”
“I am,” she said, although she knew her voice sounded hesitant.
“So . . . I wondered if you could suggest a location.”
There was no reason to hesitate. She knew Denver inside and out, and between her and Paige, they had enough connections that she could get a great videographer and photographer for stills on location as well.
“I think what you’re asking is a lot more than finding a location,” she said in a soft voice. “Am I right?”
The relief in his voice was loud and clear. “Could you, uh, help me out?”
She should make him wait, make him sweat it out a little. But she didn’t have the heart.
Paige was off her phone and seemed to have no problem listening in, if her knowing smile was any indication.
“Sure, no problem,” Camila told Declan.
“You’re kidding.”
“Do I sound like I’m kidding?”
“I can’t see your eyes right now,” his voice rumbled through the phone. “In fact, I never get to see your eyes.”
The sounds of the city traffic faded around her. The sun peeked through the clouds, and heat prickled the back of her neck. “You don’t like my hat?”
“It’s . . . fine.”
She was grinning. Stupidly.
Next to her, Paige covered her mouth, holding back a laugh that surely Declan would hear if she let it out.
“Tell you what,” Camila said. “Send me Bree’s info, and I’ll give her a call. See what I can help her with.”
“Thank you, Camila.”
The gratitude in his voice was sincere, and it pretty much made her feel like she wasn’t sitting on a bench but was floating several inches above it. “You’re welcome.”
Someone else was calling his name, and it sounded like his mom again.
“Hey, I’ve gotta run, but thank you again, and sorry about tomorrow.”
“Remember, repost.”
She was pretty sure he was smiling when she hung up, and that made her happier than she wanted to admit.
“Well, that was interesting,” Paige said.
Camila, still basking in whatever that phone call was, didn’t answer her friend right away.
“Oh my gosh, Cam!”
Camila snapped her gaze to Paige. “What?”
“You like him.”
Despite the heat blooming in her cheeks, she said, “No. Because that would be really stupid.”
Paige laughed.
“I might need to break my no-carb rule today,” Camila said. “Please stop me.”
Paige only grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. “I think this bakery will have everything you need, hon.”
“Come on, Princess,” Declan said.
The Siamese cat with the giant blue eyes merely blinked at him from her cozy spot in the pet carrier. Declan was sure if he reached in to pull out the cat, he’d get swiped again. He already had a couple of red stripes to prove that he was not the cat’s favorite person.
“She’ll come out when she’s ready,” his mom said, bustling past him as she rearranged his entire kitchen. She’d put on an apron as soon as they’d arrived at his place, and she hadn’t taken it off yet, even though he’d told her she should be resting.
The fifteen-hour drive hadn’t been for the faint of heart. His mother had refused to allow a “stranger” to transport her cat, so Princess had been loaded into the rental car. And he was convinced his hearing had been permanently damaged by a yowling cat who’d hated the pet carrier from minute one. The same pet carrier she refused to leave now.
“Declan,” his mom said as she opened yet another set of cupboards, “why do you keep your napkins so high? I can’t reach them.”
“I can reach them,” he said in the most patient voice possible. His five-foot-one mother was not the parent he’d taken after. Sure, her dark hair and dark eyes were like his own, but he’d gotten his size from his six-foot-three father.
Declan brought the package of napkins down, but his mom said, “Oh, I don’t want them right now, but when I do, I’d like to be able to reach them.”
So he set them on the lowest shelf.
Apparently, he had nothing where it should be. Who knew that there was an order to the knives, forks, and spoons in the cutlery drawer? Since he’d missed practice that day, he was on his way to the arena to get in some conditioning. He’d promised Coach he would. Besides, after driving all day, he needed to get his body moving.
He faced the pet carrier again, but Princess didn’t look like she was about to budge anytime soon.
“Are you sure she’ll use the litter box in the bathroom?” He’d set up the cat stuff in the guest bathroom—the one his mom would be using for the time being. The last thing he wanted to do was walk into his condo in a couple hours and find his place turned upside-down, more than it already was.
“She’s a smart girl,” his mom said, opening another drawer and shifting things around.
